In early December 2021, the Zapallar TURF-Reserve was officially inaugurated at an event with strong participation from the local community, who came to the Zapallar fishing cove to learn about the marine conservation work led by the Zapallar Artisanal Fishers Union in partnership with Capital Azul Foundation.
To celebrate the first year of this 15-hectare protected area in the Isla Seca sector, the artisanal fishers, led by their president Sergio Veas, have prepared a real party.
Everything will begin at noon with a brief welcome talk explaining the day’s program, starting with a symbolic outing to the TURF-Reserve. Several boats will leave the cove for the trip, joined by kayaks, Polynesian canoes and open-water swimming groups from places such as Maitencillo and Concón.
After a small reception, at 2:00 p.m. there will be an exhibition of underwater photographs taken in the Zapallar TURF-Reserve. Educational materials prepared by The Nature Conservancy Chile will also be handed out, and the organization Aula de Mar will run an environmental education module to raise awareness about the importance of caring for local marine biodiversity.
Then, starting at 3:00 p.m., a panel discussion will open a space for honest and collaborative dialogue, where different stakeholders and organizations can share how they could contribute to the TURF-Reserve from the role they play in the community.
Finally, the event will close at 3:30 p.m. with an artistic and cultural show by Colectiva Lagunica, which will present PRIMITIVA, a performance that weaves together body, word and territory.
Amid the preparations, Sergio Veas takes a breather and proudly admits that the TURF-Reserve initiative “grew like a snowball, and today everyone looks at us differently. That’s why it’s important to keep engaging the community with events like this, just as we have done this year with visits from more than a thousand children from different schools in the area.”
For his part, Jeremías Cuevas, treasurer of the Zapallar Artisanal Fishers Union, highlighted Veas’s great work and said he was excited “because a beautiful process has been carried forward.”
On the importance of working to conserve and restore marine and coastal ecosystems, Cuevas concluded: “From personal experience, I believe any area you take care of will deliver results. We have done it in other areas and it works. Now it’s very important to start engaging the community so that they themselves help take care of the TURF-Reserve. Many people came to the inauguration, and this time will be no exception. We hope this lasts over time.”
RELATED NEWS
